Among TV shows that inspire travel, HBO's The White Lotus arguably holds the top spot, even though the luxury vacations depicted in the first and second seasons of Mike White's acclaimed series have involved significantly less happiness than ennui, deception, narcissism, and murder.
Sicily saw such a surge in interest after appearing as the setting for the show's second season (which we discussed in this post) in 2022 that some commentators began grumbling about the "White Lotus effect" and its contributions to overcrowding.
The show's third season isn't expected to begin streaming on Max till 2025, but we already know where in the world White and company will shine their spotlight next: Thailand.
(Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand | Credit: Ken Seet / Four Seasons)
HBO and Thai government officials have announced that season three filming will commence in the Southeast Asian country sometime in February, with a cast that includes Parker Posey, Jason Isaacs, and, returning from season one, Natasha Rothwell.
What hasn't been officially announced yet is the name of the real-life hotel that will stand in as the latest season's outpost in the fictional White Lotus resort chain.
Bloomberg did some digging, though, and the media outlet reports that "talks with almost a dozen hotel executives," all speaking on the condition of anonymity "because of the sensitivity of production contracts," have revealed the properties in Thailand where the third season of The White Lotus will be filmed.
That's right: properties. This time around, the characters will travel to a wider range of locations than in previous seasons, according to Bloomberg. Perhaps that's part of what creator Mike White meant back in November when he told Entertainment Weekly the new season will be "longer, bigger, crazier."
Among the reported filming locations: Bangkok, Phuket, and Koh Samui.
The latter island, situated in the Gulf of Thailand, is home to a Four Seasons resort—the show's preferred luxury chain for seasons one and two.
And sure enough, Bloomberg assures readers that season three's White Lotus characters will check into the Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui, based on intel from the outlet's anonymous sources.
Frommer's reached out to reps with HBO and the Four Seasons, but nobody would confirm or deny the accuracy of those reports. We note, however, that if you go to the resort's website, you'll find that the reservations calendar shows zero room availability from the beginning of February to the end of March, presumably coinciding with the production's shooting schedule.
The place has all the requisite trappings of a White Lotus stay: posh accommodations (stilt-boosted villas with private pools and decks with palm-dotted views), an infinity pool, a spa, and lots of onsite dining to get the cast conveniently all in one room. The resort's nightly rates typically start around $1,500.
(Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui in Thailand | Credit: Ken Seet / Four Seasons)
One of the season's rumored plotlines will feature a side trip to look at temples on another of Thailand's popular islands, Phuket.
For those scenes, the cast's hotel base will reportedly be Anantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas, a secluded collection of "pool villas ... inspired by traditional wooden Thai homes [with] ... their own tropical gardens," per Bloomberg. Nightly rates at that property start around $700.
A public relations rep with Minor Hotels, which owns the Anantara brand, declined our request to comment on what the rep called "media reports and rumors."
(Antantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas resort in Thailand | Credit: Antantara Mai Khao Phuket Villas)
As for the Bangkok hotel, Bloomberg's report was unable to identify the primary filming location in the Thai capital. A "source involved in the negotiations" is quoted, however, saying HBO has "broken its loyalty with the Four Seasons in favor of a more authentically Thai-looking property" there.
Stay tuned.
(Sabrina Impacciatore in the second season of The White Lotus | Photograph by Fabio Lovino / HBO)
For help planning a vacation in Thailand before it's overrun with fans of The White Lotus, pick up a copy of Frommer's Thailand, available in paperback and e-book versions.
